What is North Face?

The North Face is an outdoor product manufacturing company, specializing in products like jackets, tents, fleece wear, luggage, and shoes started by Douglas Tompkins in 1966. Their clothing and equipment lines are specifically aimed towards climbers, mountaineers, skiers, snowboarders, and hikers.

Mr. Tompkins sold the business in 1968, and The North Face is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the VF Corporation, one of the World's largest apparel companies, owning leading brand names such as Wrangler, Lee Jeans, Riders, Rustler, Brittania etc.

North manufactures three main types of tents: Expedition, 3-season and Ultralight tents.

North Face Expedition Tents:

North Face Expedition Tents include the 2 Meter Dome, Himalayan 47, Expedition 36, VE 25 and Mountain 25. All these tents are constructed with Waterproof Flysheet technology - Polyurethane coating, hot-sealed seams with polyurethane tape, and welded Velcro strips on fly attached to poles for added stability. Except for the 2 Meter Dome, they also come with a polyurethane window, cold crack tested to 60F. Price ranges from $400 to $5000.

The 2 Meter Dome tent offers maximum space and wind resistance, mainly intended for expedition activities. Features include dual doors, interior canopy loops, 420 denier nylon taffeta floor, and 210 denier nylon Oxford canopy. It is the most expensive North Face tent.

The Himalayan 47 is designed for resistance against weather conditions such as high winds or heavy snow. Features include dual doors with dual vestibules, compression stuffsack, internal pockets, internally adjustable zippered vents with mesh screens, reflective guyline loops, guylines and glow-in-the-dark zipper pulls, etc.

The Expedition 36, VE 25 and Mountain 25 are specifically designed for high wind resistance. Their features include most of the Himalayan 47 features such as dual doors with dual vestibules (for the Mountain 24, a front vestibule), internally adjustable zippered vents with mesh screens, reflective guyline loops, internal pockets, etc.

The Himalayan 47, Expedition 36 and Mountain 25 all come with 70 denier 210T nylon taffeta floors, and 40 denier 240 T nylon ripstop canopies.

North Face 3-Season Tents:

North Face 3-Season Tents include Trailhead 8/6/4, Merlin 33, Petrel 23, Roadrunner 22, Bug 23, Rock 22 and Talus 23, with price ranging from $180 to $400.

The Trailhead series come with 70 denier, 190T nylon taffeta canopy, 210 denier Oxford nylon floor, and include integrated roll down dividers for separated sleeping compartments. The series number indicates the number of people that can be accommodated.

The Petrel 23 is a freestanding, front-entry, two person tent - a backpacking staple for three-season use. The Roadrunner 22 is a two person tent with Waterproof Flysheet Construction. The Rock 22 is constructed with Continuous Pole Sleeve Technology which increases tent stability by maximizing contact between canopy and tent pole, and distributes pressure and weight from high winds and snow; and both the Bug 33 and Talus 23 with Fusion Pitch technology which combines continuous pole sleeves with clip construction for easy setup and improved ventilation.

North Face Ultralight Tents:

North Face Ultralight Tents include the Tadpole 23, Particle 13 and Vector 22, with price ranging from $200 to $230. All the three models are constructed with Waterproof Flysheet technology, with 40 denier 240T nylon ripstop canopy and 70 denier 210T nylon taffeta floor.

The Tadpole 23 is a two-person tent with Fusion Pitch, while the Particle is a lightweight one-person tent with a silicone flysheet for ease of packing and water repellency. The Vector 22 is a freestanding, two-person backpacking tent also with a silicone flysheet and dual doors.

All the Ultralight tents are equipped with the common North Face tent features such as compression stuffsack, fly only pitching, internal pockets, DAC Featherlite aluminum poles, reflective guyline loops and zipper cording etc.